First off, one thing I think that Arrow is doing exceptionally well this season is showing real change in its main character. I am a big fan of character development, as I’ve said multiple times in my recaps. It’s not just the name change that matters to Oliver now that he’s the Green Arrow. It’s that he is making an effort to establish relationships and trust in a way he never did before. We saw in the past that he was pushing people away or keeping secrets. This is a clear attempt by him to start being more honest and to allow himself to be vulnerable and emotional. It’s a really healthy change that I hope they don’t backslide for him. Previously on Arrow, Oliver and Felicity are back in town because Damien Darhk is trying to take over. For some reason we don’t know yet, Quentin’s working with Darhk. Oliver and Diggle are still not getting along, and Diggle’s keeping information back about the fact he knows that HIVE had a part in his brother’s death. Thea’s gotten more and more violent lately, which concerns her brother. Felicity is in charge of Ray’s company (Oliver’s company originally) because he’s gone missing.

First I want to talk about the intro of new character Curtis Holt who is based on the character of Mister Terrific. I believe he’s based closer on Michael Holt, a black superhero big on tech who happens to be one of the smartest people in the comic world. Here he’s also extremely intelligent and working for Felicity, although they have to unfortunately fire people as the company struggles to make money. She has to fire him, but then she comes up with the idea to present him as a new idea maker, and that the two of them have a few months to come up with an invention that will save the company. It should be noted that he is also gay, and it is always great to see representation on television. I hope he’ll have a bigger role as we go. The main idea of this episode is that a friend of Moira Queen comes into town and decides to run for Mayor. Obviously all the mayors and leaders of the town have been killed, but she’s determined. This gets ruined when Anarky (loosely based off him) kidnaps her daughter in an effort to impress Darhk. Darhk is displeased that he’s so sloppy and inappropriate about it, because he’s a classy villain okay. Anarky gets taken down but then escapes, so he’s out there somewhere. He’s a full out psychopath, so not really someone people want walking around.

Thea flirts with the dark side a lot in this episode, and Oliver finally admits about the Lazarus Pit and what that means. It did something to her, and she scares herself when she nearly kills someone after losing control. She also gets into a vicious fist fight with Oliver himself. She tells Laurel about the Lazarus Pit, and Laurel decides to dig up Sara’s body (gross) and take her there. Thea and Laurel are on a secret mission, and they’ll probably run into either Merlyn or Nyssa next week, I expect. The thing is that Thea was barely dead when she was put in there. Someone dead as long as Sara? That’s going to go extremely poorly. I know Constantine will show up, possibly to give Sara back her soul? That sounds about right for him. Oliver decides after talking to Quentin and this whole situation that the city might need someone to step up who can be in the public eye. And he tells Felicity he wants to run for Mayor.

This is actually a major storyline in the Green Arrow comics, so I figured early in the episode this is where it’s headed. And Quentin’s insistence that only people in the daylight can really help Star City. Of course it’s not like he’s doing any good considering he’s working for the bad guy. Honestly I hope it’s him in the coffin. I’m really tired of his character. In the flashback Oliver infiltrates the people on the island. That’s about it. Again I am a little side eying the fact these flashbacks really add nothing to the overall plot. I know this time they don’t plan on having as deep a connection, but if you’re not going to use the flashbacks to make a difference in the show, they pretty much are useless. Still I love the changes the show is doing and their commitment to making Oliver a deeper and more likable character. It’s believable too, and I look forward to what’s coming ahead. Even that gravestone. Although only if it’s Quentin.